ou’ve probably seen countless motivational posters and Internet
memes that try to sum up leadership in a few words or phrases.

Framed photos of an eagle soaring in front of a snowy mountain
range or a black-and-white photo of a World War II general standing in
front of troops implore us to make action out of inaction or adapt principles
to circumstance.

These ideas can certainly be inspiring, but Distinguished Professor of
Communication Patrice Buzzanell and the many students she has trained in
leadership principles know that a quick glance at a poster or Facebook photo
won’t impart the real wisdom and knowledge required for the complex job of
becoming a leader.

“You have to understand that there are multiple relationships to considerand levels of leadership to think about,” Buzzanell says. “You can know thetheory. You can develop or adopt different strategies. But it often comes downto engaging with others to understand how they articulate their interests,needs, and feelings. Without a good sense of others, it’s difficult to enactproductive leadership.”Buzzanell knows a thing or two about what it takes to be a good leader.In addition to conducting research on the intersections of leadership, gender,and resilience, she has been a mentor in the Horizons program and wasawarded the Provost’s Outstanding Mentor Award in 2014. She has been anadvisor and instructor for the Engineering Projects in Community Service(EPICS) program in the College of Engineering, where she also holds acourtesy appointment in the School of Engineering Education. This year shewas appointed the Butler Chair and director of the Susan Bulkeley ButlerCenter for Leadership Excellence, both named for the former Purdue trusteeand 1965 alumna of the Krannert School of Management at Purdue.

The Butler Center hosts events, gives awards, and sponsors researchactivities as a way of creating conversations across campus and in highereducation to advance women’s leadership and careers. But, Buzzanell adds,the center “welcomes men’s participation as well.”EPICS provides students with hands-on leadership experience, saysBuzzanell. The program pairs students with local and global communitiesthat need assistance with specific problems they face. EPICS teams, whichinclude students from the College of Liberal Arts, work to design, build,and deploy solutions, including educational materials and apps, devices forindividuals with disabilities, housing for areas affected by natural disasters,